Get the Grant Support Your Nonprofit Needs
Fuel transformational projects to create community impact.
Creating change in community is complex, and funding your work can be difficult.
KZCF is here to partner with organizations impacting wealth, housing, education and neighborhoods in Kalamazoo County to amplify your efforts and make funding easier.
Lack of Access to Reliable Funding
Finding reliable funding can be tough, especially when you’re looking for unrestricted dollars that can be used for operational overhead or anything else you need.
Time Consuming & Tedius
More time spent finding and applying for grants means less time for capacity building and making mission progress.
Grant-Writing Challenges & Fatigue
Grant applications can be labor-intensive, requiring lots of research, writing and reporting that may leave you and your staff overburdened.
Lack of Transparency
Many foundations don’t clearly outline their selection criteria, leaving nonprofits in the dark about why they weren’t selected.
KZCF Offers Grants for Transformational Community Projects
We are committed to helping neighborhoods in Kalamazoo County become equitable and vibrant places where everyone can thrive. Through a racial justice lens, we align our grantmaking with residents’ dreams for themselves, their families, and their communities.
KZCF grant funding is made possible through 100s of funds and endowments created and supported by generous community members — businesses, families, friends, and neighbors from all over Kalamazoo County.
Community Impact Priorities
A high demand for funding means we do not have the capacity to fulfill every grant request, and we must prioritize requests that most closely align with our mission, vision and WHEN focus areas.
Wealth
Education
Housing
Neighborhoods
Inclusivity & Accessibility
We partner with organizations that reflect our community’s diversity, ensuring everyone can authentically celebrate their identities. A commitment to enhancing service access, practicing anti-racism and improving inclusive practices is vital for strong partnerships.
We prioritize organizations that demonstrate:
- A strong commitment to racial equity.
- A high degree of accessibility and relevance to people with multiple oppressed identities (including intersections of race, ethnicity, economic status, immigration status, LGBTQ+ identity and disability).
- A high degree of potential to create lasting change for communities facing racial bias and discrimination, including advocacy and systems change work addressing systemic barriers.
Centering People & Communities of Color
Partner organizations best serve Kalamazoo County by centering and amplifying the voices, expertise and leadership of people of color, creating opportunities in civic, cultural and political spaces. We collaborate with partners who prioritize communities of color across the nonprofit sector.
We prioritize organizations that demonstrate:
- That the communities most impacted are involved in significantly informing the work.
- That there are no barriers that prevent oppressed communities from fully participating in programs and services identified.
Collaboration to Achieve Shared Outcomes
We assess how organizations are collaborating to harness collective power.
We prioritize organizations that demonstrate:
- That they have multiple strong local partnerships established.
- That their work fulfills a unique need that enhances existing efforts or programs in community.
Commitment to Learning & Growing
Our partners are engaged in continuous learning and growth, recognizing it as essential to advancing equity and justice. Partners embrace opportunities to engage with complex and challenging information, value lived experience, and foster equitable practices.
We prioritize organizations that demonstrate:
- That equity practices and nondiscrimination policies are in place.
- That multiple identities and perspectives are present to lead the work.
- That there is evidence of growth in and commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Our Community Impact team is dedicated to making sure your grantee experience 
is easy and efficient. Our grant guide outlines everything you need to know!
KZCF Grant Partnerships Perks
Easy Online Requests
KZCF awards annual and multiyear grants to organizations. When open, applications are available on our website along with helpful resources.
Fiscal Sponsor-Friendly
You don’t need official nonprofit status to apply for a grant — non-501c3 nonprofits as well as groups working with a fiscal sponsor are still eligible for funding.
Dedicated Liaison Support
Grantees work directly with a Community Impact Officer, a dedicated point of contact to stick with you from application to acceptance and throughout your partnership.
Continued Guidance & Advocacy
Organizations can access support beyond the check, including technical assistance, resources and connections to other nonprofits and funders.
Chart Your Grant-Seeking Journey
Explore KZCF’s many grant options and match your organization and needs to the one that fits best.
Multiyear General Operations Grants
Annual Responsive Grants
Capital Grants
Mobilizing Grants
CURF
Community Urgent Relief Fund to the Rescue
In response to the May 7 tornadoes, our Community Urgent Relief Fund (CURF) remains open. Requests for funding are reviewed weekly, and Kalamazoo County needs your support!
Kalamazoo Rx Kids
Boldly Reimagining Support for Moms & Babies
This innovative program supports mothers and babies with a no-strings-attached cash prescription from pregnancy through a baby’s first year of life.
Sustaining Leaders Initiative
Thank You to Kalamazoo’s Nonprofit Leaders
This fund provides respite, professional development, executive coaching and wellness grants to nonprofit leaders of color in Kalamazoo County.
2024 Grant Recipients Making an Impact Across Kalamazoo County
Grants got you stumped? Ask Kari.
To learn more about our grantmaking process, get guidance with your grant-writing, or ask any lingering questions, contact Kari Benjamin Hamann via the contact form or call 269.381.4416.
Grantmaking Resources at the Ready
Sustaining BIPOC Leadership: Prioritizing Rest & Restoration
Our shared humanity calls us to build a community where every person can be whole. Those who do the work of initiating change need space and support for their own healing and rejuvenation. Time with family, exercise, travel and rest are all necessary for a well-balanced life. By engaging in acts of restoration, our community leaders can be at their best when supporting community members.
Make a Gift That Keeps on Giving!
Contributions to KZCF ensure your gifts will continue to benefit our community forever. Help us make an impact that lasts for generations to come by giving a gift today.
